Averie Cooks » Puffy Vanilla and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Puffy Vanilla and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

by Averie Sunshine on March 12, 2012

These cookies turned out so puffy that they caught me by surprise.

And they’re so vanilla-ey, but that was by design because I’m a vanilla fiend.

They are a little bit peanut buttery even though I didn’t add peanut butter to the actual cookie dough.

Instead, I used peanut butter chips and they gave a subtle peanut butter flavor yet not so much that the vanilla flavor was lost.

I was going to add white chocolate chips, too, but I know not everyone is as crazy about white chocolate as I am, so I refrained.

I did add something to them that I almost never bake with. ~~Good ole Lard.~~ Good ole Crisco.

I read cookie making guides and online websites devoted to The Perfect Cookie and never tire of the epic food science quest in finding what makes cookies puffy, flat, chewy, crispy, you name it.

Many people swear by some lard to keep things moist and puffy. Scientifically, that makes sense.

And boy, puffy is what happened.

That would be pufffffyyyy.

Especially the second cookie down from the top. That was my favorite cookie of the batch and I made some glorious teeth marks in that little tophat.

Not using butter is a smidge of a sacrifice in the flavor department because there is nothing that can replace the flavor of butter in baking.

However, in terms of puffiness, chewiness, and softness, these babies were perfectly puffalicious and right on point.

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Puffy Vanilla and Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen small-to-medium sized cookies (I made 22 cookies)

1/2 cup Crisco (or vegetable shortening)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt, optional

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup peanut butter chips (or butterscotch, white chocolate, chocolate chips if preferred)

Preheat oven to 375F and line two cookie sheets with Silpat liners, parchment paper, or spray with cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, beat together Crisco, sugars, egg, water, and vanilla, until batter is creamy. Add the cinnamon, salt, baking soda, flour and mix until just combined. Fold in peanut butter chips by hand. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 if you’re rushed. Do not skip chilling the dough if you want puffy cookies because cold dough results in puffier cookies.

Using a cookie scoop, form 1 inch balls (or roll balls by hand) and place on prepared cookie sheets, allowing for adequate spacing (these cookies do not spread much, but like all cookies, they spread some; and the colder the dough, the less they will spread). Bake for 8-10 minutes or until barely brown. Remove cookies from oven when they look slightly under-baked and allow cookies to cool and firm up on cookie sheets for at least 5 minutes before moving to cooling racks. Store cookies in an airtight container on the countertop or freeze for up to 3 months.

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I like vanilla-flavored foods. Actually, I am passionately in love with vanilla-flavored most anything, and I usually use twice the recommended amount of vanilla extract in any recipe.

The way I wrote the above recipe, you don’t need to do that, but if you’re really wanting to go nuts with vanilla flavor because you’re obsessed like I am, you could possibly add one more teaspoon or perhaps some vanilla bean paste to knock your vanilla socks right off.

I hate dry baked goods with a passion and these are anything but.

And puffy.

Related cookie recipes:

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

Mango and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Butter Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies

White Chocolate Recipes

Peanut Butter Recipes

Do you have success with cookies turning out the way you want them to? Puffy or thinner, chewy or crispy, when you want them to be? Or is it all pretty random?

There are times I think I have it all figured out and then, I’ll get flatter cookies like these (fruit used) or these (rum used) no matter what I tried to counteract it.

They taste great and are soft and super chewy, except their appearance is flatter. Baking with fruit or booze tends to throw scientific baking principles for a loop.

Do you bake with Crisco or shortening vs. butter? Thoughts?

Shortening = higher, puffier, lighter cookies but that telltale butter flavor (which I love) is absent

Butter = better flavor but it has a lower melting point so the cookies spread faster and stay flatter

In the end, all that really matters is that you have cookies to eat. And cookies are good. Period.

Thanks for the Practically Raw Vegan Cookbook Giveaway entries